Poration



Dec. 15, 1931. c. H. DAVIS. JR 1,836,451

IGNITION DEVICE Filed May 19, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES HALL DAVIS, JR, OF ANDERSON,

INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'I'O DELCO-REMY COR- PORATION, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE IGNITION DEVICE Application filed Kay 19,

This invention relates to improvements in ignition devices for multicylinder internal combustion engines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simplified ignition device having a minimum number of parts, thereby substantially reducing production costs.

' Further obj ec'ts and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View showing the ignition device and its circuit connections.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the condenser unit of the ignition device.

Fig. 3 is a graphic view showing the relative time of circuit making and breaking intervals of the two circuit interrupters of the ignition device.

Referring to the drawings, the ignition device is shown comprising a casing 20, which insulatingly supports two terminals 21 and 22. A drive shaft 23 is rotatably supported by the housing 20, said drive shaft having a cam 24 provided thereon, said cam having a plurality of lobes 25.

Within the casing 20 there are provided two circuit interrupters, one having the contact arm 26, the other the contact arm 27. These contact arms are insulatingly, pivotally supported by posts 28 and 29 respectively. Contact arm 26 carries a contact 30 and contact arm 27 has the contact 31 provided thereon. One end of a resilient blade or spring 32 is attached to the contact arm 26 by a rivet 33, which also secures the wearpiece 34 to said contact arm. The other end of this spring conductor 32 is in electrical connection with the terminal post 21.

From the aforegoing it may be seen that spring conductor 32 not only electrically con- .nects the contact arm 26 with the terminal 21, but it also urges said contact arm so that its wearpiece 34 engages the cam 24. A spring conductor 35 has its one end secured to the contact arm 27 the rivet 36, which also secures the wearpiece 37 to said contact arm;-

1930. Serial No. 453,555.

Like in the other circuit interrupter, spring conductor 35 electrically connects arm 27 to the terminal post 22 as well as urging said arm so that its wearpiece 37 engages the cam 24. Two stationary contacts 38 and 39 are provided within the housing 20, these contacts being grounded to the housing 20 as at 40. Contact 38 is adapted to be engaged by the contact 30 on arm 26 when the wearpiece 34 on said arm is intermediate the lobes 25 of the cam 24. When the wearpiece 37 of the arm 27 rides between the cam lobes 25 then the contact 31 on said arm may engage the stationary contact 39.

It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the contact arms 26 and 27 are so arranged relatively angularly that when the wearpiece of one is riding on one of the cam lobes to cause contact disengagement, the wearpiece of the other contact arm will be riding between the cam lobes to maintain contact engagement, and thus one circuit interrupter is always closed while the other is disengaged.

The ignition device includes a distributor unit having a plurality of terminals 46 connected to the proper spark plugs 47 of the engine, not shown. A central, high tension terminal 48 on the distributor unit is connected with the rotor 49 while another high tension terminal 50 is in communication with a circular track 51 in the distributor unit which in turn is in electrical connection with the rotor 52.

The ignition device also includes a pair of ignition coils, one having the primary winding 53 the other the primary winding 54. A secondary winding 55 is associated with th primary winding 53 of one ignition coil, while the secondary winding 56 is provided in the ignition coil having the primary winding 54. Both these primary windings 53 and 54 are connected with a storage battery 57 through the wires 58 and 59. The secondary winding 55 is connected with the high tension terminal 50 of the distributor unit through the wire 60, the wire 61 connecting the secondary winding 56 with the high tension terminal 48 of the distributor unit.

From this it may be seen that sparking impulses from the coil including windings 53 extends through an opening in the end of and 55 are directedto. the high tension terminal 50 and rotor 52 of the distributor unit, while sparking impulses from the coil including wires 54 and 56 are directed to the terminal 48 and rotor 49 of the distributor unit. The primary winding 53 is also connected with the terminal post 21 through the wire 62, while the primary winding 54 of the other ignition coil is connected to the terminal post 22 through the wire 63.

A condenser 65 has two wires 66 and 67 leading therefrom, one wire being connected to the insulated terminal 21 through the wire 62, the other wire 67 of the condenser being connected to the insulated terminal post 22 through the wire 63.

Referring to-Fig;2, the condenser is shown comprising a shellor casing 70 in WhlCh. convolutions of metallic foils 71 and 72 are provided. These convolutions of twometallic foils are properly separated by layersof insulating material such as paper and deslg-- nated by the numeral 73, the assembly of the two foil sheets and their separating sheets of paper being in tubular form about a hollow core 74. One foil has its edges exposed at one end of the condenser as at 75, while the other foil has its edges exposed at the opposite end of the condenser as at 7 6. Wire 66 the case toward the opposite 'end of the condenser and has its end electrically engaging the foil edge 76. Wire 67 extends through an insulating end cover 77, the wire belng in electrical connection with the foil edges 75 at the opposite end of the condenser. Thus I it may be seen that no part of the condenser is grounded, for wire 66 connects the one foil while the wire 67 connects the other foil, these wires 66 and 67 in turn being connected to insulating terminal posts 21 and 22 carried by the ignition device housing.

In the operation of this device, however, alternate sidesof the condenser are grounded through a circuit interrupter. For instance,

if the ignition device is in the position as shown in Fig. 1, the battery will discharge through the wires 59 andv 58, primary coil 54, wire 63 to terminal post 22, then through the spring conductor 35, arm 27, across contacts31 and 39 to the ground 40 and back through the battery via the ground connection 40. The current flowing through this primary coil 54 will energize the same and when the cam 24, rotating in the direction of the arrow on s'aid cam in Fig. 1, causes its lobe 25 to engage wearpiece 37 and move arm 27 so that its contact will move out of engagement with the contact 39, the arm 26 will have been moved so that its contact 30 will be in engagementwith the stationary .contact 38 before interruption of the contacts 31 and 39'will have taken place. Interruption of the circuit through the primary wind mg 54 will cause a sparking impulse from the-secondary winding 56 to be directed ground of the battery. Whenthe circuit interrupter including arm 26 and contacts 30 and 38 is moved to interrupt the circuit, the other interrupter-including contacts 31 and 39 will be closed and thus the wire 66 of the condenser 65 will be connected to the performing circuit, while wire 67 of the condenser will be grounded throughthe' interrupter including contacts '31 and 39.

From the aforegoing it may be seen that a single condenser may be so constructed and arranged as to operate properly with two separate and distinct interrupters, said in terrupters acting alternately, one as a circuit interrupter the other as .a cooperating grounding device for the condenser.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope ofthe claims which follow.

What is claimed is asfollows:

1. An ignition device for a multi-cylinder, internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, an engine operated cam having a plurality of spaced lobes; insulatingly pivoted levers each having a wear piece, said levers being so arranged that the wearpiece of one is between the cam lobes when the tive lever so that its wear piece engages the cam and electrically connecting'the respective lever with a terminal; a grounded stationary contact for each lever adapted to be engaged by the contact on the respective lever; and a condenser connected between the terminals.

2. An ignition device for a multi-cylinder, internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a housing; two terminal posts insulatinglycarried by said housing; an en gine driven cam having a plurality of cam lobes; a pair of contactlevers pivotally supported within the housing and insulated therefrom; stationary contacts carried by the housing and adapted to be'engaged by the respective contact levers; Wearpieces on the respective contact levers which are so arranged relative to the cam so that the wear 3 piece of one lever is between the cam lobes to cause engagement of its respective contact lever and its cooperatin stationary contact when the wearpiece of t e other lever is engaged by a cam lobe to cause disengagement of its contact lever and the coo crating stationary contact; spring con uctors connected between each terminal post and contact lever, urging the lever toward the cam and electrically connecting it with the terminal post; and a condenser connected between the two terminal posts.

3. An ignition device for a multi-cylinder, internal combustion engine comprising, combination, an operating member; two circuit interrupters adapted to be operated a'lternately by said operating member, each interrupter comprising an insulated movable contact and a stationary grounded contact; and a condenser connected between the two movable contacts, said condenser comprising alternate layers of a metallic foil and insulating sheets alternate edges of the foil extending from opposite ends of the condenser, wires, one of which is connected to the foil extending from one end of the condenser and to the insulated contact of one interrupter, the other wire being connected to the foil extending from the other end of the condenser and to the insulated contact of the other interrupter.

4. An ignition device for a multi-cylinder, internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, an operating member; two circuit interrupters adapted to be operated al- .ternately by said operating member, each interrupter comprising an insulated movable contact and a stationary grounded contact; and a condenser connected between the two movable contacts, said condenser comprising a shell, an assembly of alternate layers of a metallic foil and insulating sheets, the alternate foils extending from the opposite ends of the assembly, and wires each connected with a group of foils extendin from the respective ends of the assembly sai wires extending from the condenser shell ends and being connected to the insulated contacts of the respective circuit interrupter-s.

5. An ignition device for a multi-cylinder, internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, an operating member; two circuit interrupters adapted to be operated alternately by said operating member, each interrupter comprising an insulated movable contact and a stationary grounded contact; and a condenser connected between the two movable contacts, said condenser comprising a shell; a tubular coil of convolutions of two sheets of a metallic foil each separated by a convolution of paper, the one foil having its edges exposed at one end of the coil the other foil at the opposite end of the coil, wires extending through the tubular coil one connected at one end to the exposed edges of the one foil and at the other end to the insulated contact of one circuit interrupter, the other .wire connected at the other end to the exposed edges of the other foil and at its other end to the insulated contact of the other circuit in- 'terrupter.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

CHARLES HALL DAVIS, JR. 

